Gift Cards: Money With a Destination

Gift certificates predate their plastic and digital forms, but the central bargain remains: the giver chooses a merchant or category while the recipient chooses the exact benefit. Expiry, fees, loss, and unusable remainders have often complicated that bargain.

Upgrade balances avoid expiry and let buyers mix eligible tiers. Clear remaining value and revocable unclaimed links keep the destination useful without pretending it is ordinary cash.

A gift balance should preserve choice, not collect leftovers.